Page 79 of A Legacy of Storms and Starlight

Words poured out of her to fill the silence, eager to smooth over whatever crack she had just made between them. “I made a bracelet for Kara once. It’s stupid, really. I just wanted to say thank you. For being my friend. For everything.” Holt lifted the lid as she spoke. Inside sat coils of black braided leather with a bell, just a small silver sphere nestled amongst the braids. She didn’t expect he’d wear it, but he took it right out of the box and wrapped it around his wrist. Zylah’s fingers twitched with the urge to fasten it for him, but she watched as he did it himself, positioning it exactly how he wanted, the bell at the centre of his wrist when his palm faced up. “I made the leather braid,” she added, “but I had help with the bell. I had a pin added to stop the pellet, since, you know, rule number six.No bells.”

Holt’s mouth twitched. “Technically, that was rule number five.” His fingers curled as he looked at the gift for a moment, then his eyes met hers, his expression soft.

“Oh?”

“Rule number three wasn’t really a rule, just a question.”

Tell me what you want from me, was what she’d said to him as she’d held up three fingers back in his cabin. “I didn’t realise you were paying such close attention.”

Holt smiled, inclining his head to the bracelet. “Thank you, Zylah.” For a moment she thought he was going to say something else, but he said only, “Your turn,” and handed her the bundle of cloth he’d been carrying.

Zylah carefully unrolled the fabric, revealing the polished metal beneath. She looked up at Holt, barely able to contain the smile that stretched across her face, and he smiled back. It was a short sword; vines and leaves carved into the blade and continuing around the gilded hilt, set with a single violet stone in the centre.

Her very own sword. Zylah could barely contain her excitement. She took a few steps back, holding the weapon in one hand to test the weight. It was much lighter than a training sword, just as he had said it would be. She sliced once through the air; it felt perfect in her hand. “Holt, this is…” She swiped again, spinning the blade to the hilt to test how easily she could use it for blunt strikes.

“I thought you might like knowing you had an adequate weapon to defend yourself on your travels.” He watched her as she examined the blade, arms folded across his chest.

She threw one arm around him and gave him a hug, his comforting scent washing over her as she willed herself not to cry. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Holt hesitated for a moment before unfolding his arms to hug her back, and it felt like another goodbye as he leaned his head against hers. Everything she had now was because of him. Everything.

“My brother would never believe I could use a real sword,” Zylah said against his jacket.

Holt eased her out of his embrace and looked down at her. “Why don’t you visit him before you go? I’ll take you to him, if you’d like.”

Zylah shook her head, looking at the sword again. “I can’t do anything that might jeopardise his position with Arnir. Zack’s worked so hard for it.”

“Your brother is the King’s Blade?”

“You know my brother?” Zylah’s heart raced, and a thousand questions filled her thoughts.

Holt nodded, then picked up the fabric where Zylah had dropped it on the floor. “He’s usually the one to deliver requests from Arnir when Marcus is… unavailable.” He motioned for Zylah to hand him the sword.

“Requests?”

Holt slowly wrapped the blade, taking care to cover every part of it in the cloth. “Arnir knows of me as a bounty hunter, remember.”

Of course.That was likely how he’d found her the first time they’d met. It was strange to think her brother had met Holt before she had, that they had been connected somehow without ever knowing each other. And how if she’d never taken Kara’s shift, she’d never have met him at all. “Is he… is he well?”

“Yes. He’s in good health, Zylah.”

She tilted her head back to look at the sky. Despite the lights in the gardens, the stars were bright, and Zylah could easily pick out familiar constellations. “It was Zack who first taught me about the gods. How they were born of storms and starlight. He would tell me stories on the nights he knew it bothered me most that I had no idea where I’d come from.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “As if hearing where the gods had come from would be a comfort.”

“And was it?”

She looked up at him, his gaze fixed on the stars. “Sometimes.”

Holt’s hands were empty, but he looked down as if he’d felt her watching him. “It’s at the tavern, I didn’t think you’d want to hold it for the rest of the night. There’s a scabbard and belt to go with it.”

“I don’t know how to thank you.”

“You already did.” He waved his hand to the bracelet she’d given him. Before she had a chance to reply, an arm came around her shoulders, and Raif’s mint and lemongrass scent filled her senses.

“My two favourite people.” Raif clapped Holt on the back, and Zylah wondered if he’d had some of the wine.

Holt laughed. “Don’t let Rose hear you say that.”

“Hear you say what?” Rose asked as she made her way over to them.

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